Cubs Land Reliever Taylor Rogers in Last-Minute Trade Deadline Deal with Pirates

Cubs Land Reliever Taylor Rogers in Last-Minute Trade Deadline Deal with Pirates originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Chicago Cubs may not have made a big splash at the trade deadline, after missing out on Eugenio Suarez and failing to acquire another starting pitcher other than Mike Soroka. However, they added multiple pieces to the roster and snuck one final trade in before the trade deadline passed.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Cubs are acquiring left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers from the in-division rival Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for outfield prospect Ivan Brethowr.

The trade marks the second time Rogers has been dealt away inside the NL Central in less than 24 hours. The first was from the Cincinnati Reds to the Pirates for third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes.

Despite racking up frequent flyer miles, Rogers has been fantastic this season. In 40 appearances, the veteran has a 2.45 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 33 innings. Since June 20, Rogers may be one of the best relievers in baseball, having not allowed a single run in 12 outings.

Rogers’ ability to create weak contact, primarily against his sweeper, is what makes him a valuable asset to Chicago’s bullpen. According to Baseball Savant, opponents are hitting .177 against Rogers’ sweeper. Although his sinker is not breaking like it once did, the left-hander still possesses the ability to limit the home run ball with a 0.82 home run per nine this season.

Unlike Chicago’s other bullpen addition, Andrew Kittredge, Rodgers is only under contract through the remainder of 2025. According to Spotrac, the Cubs are set to pay Roger a measly $1.87 million for the final two months of the season.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 31, 2025, where it first appeared.